This invention relates to ball-and-socket assemblies and, more particularly, a ball-and-socket assembly having a sleeve for reinforcing a flexible socket wall when a ball is received in a socket.
Many ball-and-socket couplings are known for use in coupling two objects together. In typical ball-and-socket couplings, a ball is received in a socket, and subsequently retained in the socket to couple the two objects together. When decoupling of the two objects is desired, the ball is released from the socket. The ball, once in the socket, must be retained in the socket to keep the two objects coupled, until release of the ball from the socket is required. In typical ball-and-socket couplings, a socket is defined by a socket wall which is flexible, to permit the ball to be received in the socket, and also to permit the ball to be released from the socket when desired.
However, because of the requirement that the socket wall be flexible to facilitate receiving and releasing the ball, known ball-and-socket couplings have suffered from the disadvantage that unplanned or inadvertent release of the ball from the socket can occur. An unplanned or inadvertent release of the ball from the socket can have serious consequences, as the result is an unexpected decoupling of the objects which had been coupled by the ball-and-socket coupling.
Various mechanisms intended to address the problem of inadvertent release have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,410,295 (Ersoy et al.) discloses a universal joint construction in which a housing, including a socket into which a ball can be received, is adapted for cooperation with a collar which slides over the exterior of the housing to hold the ball in the socket. However, the ball-and-socket coupling disclosed in Ersoy et al. apparently cannot readily be disassembled, so that release of the ball is not easily accomplished. In short, for a variety of reasons, known ball-and-socket couplings have various disadvantages.
Prior art coupling devices which are not known ball-and-socket couplings are typically used in connection with a boat top, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. A typical boat top 20 is shown in FIG. 1, and a typical coupling device 22 used to couple the boat top 20 and a boat body 24 together is shown in FIG. 2. (As will be described, the remainder of the drawings illustrate the present invention.) As can be seen in FIG. 2, the typical coupling device 22 used to secure the boat top 20 to the boat body 24 includes flanges 26, 27 spaced apart to receive a member 28 projecting from a boat top frame element 30, and the member 28 is held between the flanges 26, 27 by a knurled screw 32.
It will be appreciated from FIGS. 1 and 2 that coupling the boat top 20 to the boat body 24 can be a difficult exercise, requiring alignment of a number of members projecting from the boat top frame elements and inserting knurled screws as appropriate. The task of coupling the boat top 20 with the boat body 24 can be very difficult for one person to accomplish alone when typical coupling devices 22 are used. Decoupling of the boat top 20 from the boat body 24 is also inconvenient when typical coupling devices 22 are use
Although typical ball-and-socket couplings could be used in place of the typical coupling devices 22 to couple the boat top 20 to the boat body 24, typical ball-and-socket couplings would not provide convenient and effective coupling and decoupling of the boat top 20 and the boat body 24.
There exists a need for a ball-and-socket assembly having a sleeve for reinforcing a flexible socket wall when a ball is received in a socket.
In a broad aspect of the present invention, there is provided a ball-and-socket assembly having a ball element, a socket housing, and a sleeve. The ball element includes a base and a ball portion spaced apart from the base by a support portion extending from the base, and the socket housing includes a socket formed by a flexible socket wall for receiving and releasably retaining the ball portion in the socket. The sleeve is mounted on the socket housing and movable relative to the socket between an engaged position, in which the sleeve reinforces the flexible socket wall so that the socket wall retains the ball portion in the socket, and a disengaged position, in which the socket wall is not reinforced by the sleeve and the ball portion is receivable in the socket and releasable from the socket. The result is that the ball portion is retained in the socket and the socket housing is movable relative to the ball portion when the ball portion is received in the socket and the sleeve is in the engaged position.